Ashtray



United States Patentv I p ASHTRAY Wilber J. Menke, Pasadena, Calif.

Application February 6, 1956, Serial No. 563,471

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-29) The invention relates to ashtrays and more particularly to disposable ashtrays and process for forming disposable ashtrays.

Many times smokers find themselves in situations or locations where conventional ashtrays are not convenient or obtainable. The smoker is faced with the problem in such situations of littering his location with ashes or disposing of the ashes on his person. The time honored disposition of ashes when no ashtray is present is the fiick them into the trouser cuff. There are many objections to this procedure.

I have developed a process and apparatus for providing the average smoker with a temporary ashtray in almost any circumstance. The process of the invention comprises forming an ashtray from an oblong of cardboard by separating the oblong for part of its length and notching the edge of each of the tabs so formed. The notched tabs are crossed or overlapped and the notches are meshed so that a depressed area is formed in the cardboard oblong. The depression is a handy readily emptied receptacle.

Most smokers carry conventional cardboard match folders or book matches. The front cover of the match folder can be made into an ashtray by the process of the invention by cutting the cover along a central line from its free end and incising each of the tabs so formed near their free ends. The tab may then be crossed and the notches meshed. The crossing of the tabs warps the cardboard front cover and forms a depressed area in the cover which serves as a receptacle for ashes.

Since the average cigarette or cigar ash has cooled by the time it is ready to drop from the cigar or cigarette, there is no danger of fire from the contact of the ashes with the cardboard. The matches are not exposed to the ashes because the depressed area is oriented so that it faces outwardly with respect to the cover.

The preferred apparatus of the invention contemplates an ashtray comprised of a cardboard oblong, a first notched tab integral with the oblong, and a second matching notched tab also integral with the oblong and partially overlapping the first tab so that the notches are meshed and the oblong is warped to form a depressed area.

Since the match folder is such a normal part of the smokers equipment, it is preferred that the cardboard oblong of the apparatus be the front cover of a match folder.

Additional advantages of the process and apparatus of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed specification and drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the match folder scored in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the match folder of Fig. 1 formed in accordance with the invention into a temporary ashtray; and

Fig. 3 is an alternate embodiment of the apparatus of the invention.

Match folder of Fig. 1 is a conventional match 2,811,245 CC BatentedQet. .29, 1.9a":

folder having zamatchapad .11, :a rear cover M and a front cover 13. The front and rear covers are formed 0mm piece and separated by fold lines. In Fig. 1 the front cover 13 is closed and held at its free-end by an upturned portion 14 of the rear cover.

A scored line 17 bisects the front cover starting from its free end 19 (shown in dotted lines) and preferably extending for approximately three-quarters of the length of the front cover. The bisecting line forms a pair of tabs 20, 21 each of which has a notch 23 extending inwardly from its outer edge near the free end of the matchcover. A cover separated into two tabs approximately three-quarters of the length of the front cover has been found to provide a deeper depression than tabs formed to other proportional lengths.

The scored lines 17 and 23 facilitate the process of converting the cardboard oblong, in this case a front cover of a match folder, into an ashtray in accordance with the invention. By tearing each scored line along its length the two tabs are separated so that they may be crossed or overlapped and the notches meshed in the fashion shown in Fig. 2. Each notch 23 is fitted into the opposite notch to act as a lock holding the tabs in an overlapped position. While it is possible to hold the tabs in overlapped position by slipping one tab into a notch in the opposite tab, a better locking action is obtained by using two meshing notches. The overlapping of the tabs warps the front cover forming a depression 25 which has its greatest depth adjacent the inner end of the scored line 17. The depression area is broadly defined by the curled-up outer edges of each of the tabs and the fold line demarking the top of the front cover.

An alternate embodiment of the apparatus is illustrated in Fig. 3. A conventional match folder 30 has two incising lines 31, 32 extending from the free end 33 of a front cover 34 to a fold line 35 delimiting the front cover. Each of a pair of outer tabs 36, 37 has a short notch 38 extending inwardly from its outer edge near the free end 33 of the front cover. The two incising lines define a third tab 40 in the central portion of the cover. The two outer tabs are mutually overlapped beneath the inner tab to form a depressed area to receive ashes. The inner tab permits a greater warpage of the front cover providing a depressed area of greater capacity than possible with a single center cut from the free edge of the cover to the fold line.

The illustrated embodiments are preferable because the average smoker carries matches. However, the process of the invention is applicable to any oblong of material which can be cut or torn. The apparatus of the invention may be formed from many materials similar in physical properties to cardboard. The lines defining the tabs and notches can be pre-cut instead of scored in the match cover. While scoring the lines is preferable, any demarcation that aids the precise separation of the cover along the marked lines may be used.

I claim:

1. A match folder for converting into a temporary ashtray comprising a front cover, a scored line extending part of the length of the cover from its free end, a short scored line extending inwardly from each outer edge of the cover near its free end, the scored lines indicating tears to be made in the cover so that two tabs integral with the cover and having edge notches may be formed and overlapped so that the notches mesh to warp the cover to form a depressed area.

2. An ashtray comprising a cardboard match folder having a front cover, a pair of spaced scored lines extending the length of the cover from its free end, the scored lines delimiting a pair of outer tabs and a central tab each integral with the front cover, a short scored line extending inwardly from the outer edge of each e f if 2,811,241;

outer tab adjacent the free end of the cover, the cover References Cited in the file of this patent being separableealong each scored line so that the outer tabs may be crossed one over the other beneath the cen UNITED AT PATENTS tral tab and the cover warped to form a deppessed area 205,355 C01 J1me 78 and the'outer tabs locked together at the short scored 5 1,615,465 Martin Jan. 25, 1927 1 T 7 2,133,336 Ziemmerman Oct. 18, 1938 lines; 1 e 

